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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · deal · pitcher · hide · wound · cap · wake · pitch

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pitch — completely
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com